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everyday feminism

This Comic Reveals How Out-of-Control the Restaurant Industry’s Sexism Problem Really Is

These examples show how sexism in the service industry can bombard you from all angles. Employees deserve a lot better, so we’re glad this comic comes with ideas for support.

What can you do to make a change? If nothing else, you can spread the word to help get rid of these awful working conditions for good.

With Love,
The Editors at Everyday Feminism

Click for the Transcript

Panel 1

(Vanessa, our main character, grimacing as a customer yells at her as she is carrying a tray)

Vanessa: Being a woman or perceived as female in the service industry can suck.

Customer: Hey, babe, can you bring your sexy smile and another Miller Lite back here!?

Panel 2

Vanessa: Working as a server often means that I am disrespected or assumed lesser than those I am serving (often subconsciously by patrons) and this is doubled by being a woman or perceived feminine. And I know I’m not alone. My trans and non-binary friends have to deal with this misogyny as well. The nature of the industry means that we’re not allowed, or are unable, to stand up to sexism. There’s a whole bunch of examples of sexism within the service industry, but here’s a few. First, and perhaps the biggest problem, is the sexual harassment that female servers can receive…

Panel 3

(Customer slapping Vanessa’s behind)

Text: From customers…

Customer: Hey, shot girl! I’ll take another!

Panel 4

(A chef licking his lips and sneering at Vanessa while she talks to another server)

Text: From co-workers…

Vanessa: Can you grab my plates? Every time I grab my food, the cook licks his lips and leers at me.

Panel 5

(A manager staring inappropriately at Vanessa, little arrows from his eyes to her behind as she walks around the room)

Text: And from management.

Vanessa: Oh, come on.

Panel 6

(Customer talking to Vanessa, while she’s obviously distraught)

Text: Often, servers don’t have support from coworkers or managers, so we get stuck between: sucking it up.

Customer: I’d like to give you a little bit of my tip…heh heh heh.

Vanessa: Ha! Ha! Ha! You are so funny!

Panel 7

(Vanessa angrily yelling at the customer)

Text: Or losing our tip (and maybe our job).

Vanessa: You can’t talk to me that way! That’s sexual harassment, and I don’t have to take it!

Panel 9

(Two outfits laid out, a button-up with pants and a button-up with skirt and tights)

Text: This can also happen in terms of sexist uniforms. Pants and tie for men. A skirt and fishnets for women.

Panel 10

(Vanessa talking, in a chef’s hat)

Vanessa: Women make up the majority of tipped positions in the service industry, but rarely get promoted to managerial duties, ownership, or chef positions. We need to think about what gender discrimination looks like within the service industry.

Panel 11

(Simplified figures representing men and women, women in the host and server positions, while men are in the bartender, manager, and cook positions)

Text: Women are often stuck with hosting or serving and there is a segregation of the sexes between front-of-house positions and back-of-house. (And while this comic is focusing on gender discrimination, there’s also a lot of class and race discrimination that is prevalent as well!)

Panel 12

Vanessa: Regardless, I do enjoy my job! I just wish I had a little bit more support!

Panel 13

(Vanessa is holding two papers, one says “Opportunities,” and the other has a $$ sign on it)

Vanessa: To start, support service industry employees in general! Fight for a higher minimum wage and allotted sick days! And if you’re a manager or owner, double check to make sure all employees are given a chance to grow and get new skills, not just male employees.

Panel 14

(Boss is talking to the cook from earlier in the comic)

Vanessa: Also, I wish that managers and co-workers would stand up for me and others when they see something happening, whether that be from each other…

Boss: We need to have a chat about the way you’re making faces and treating the women who work here.

Anna Bongiovanni is a Contributing Comic Artist for Everyday Feminism. They are a genderqueer cartoonist, zine-maker, and educator living in Minneapolis. They draw comics on gender, feminism, and queer issues. Besides Everyday Feminism, they also draw monthly comics for Autostraddle. A graduate in Comic Art from Minneapolis, they are currently working on their second graphic novel. More of their art can be seen on Patreon.com and on their blog. Follow them on Twitter@grease_bat.